The Disadvantage

Written By Jayden .

Disadvantage

Basics

Definition

Disad (DA) is another word for disadvantage, which is a reason why the affirmative is bad in debate. More generally, it just means why something is bad.

Parts of a DA

Uniqueness

  • Linear

  • Brink

  • 2 directions

Link

  • 2 directions

  • Offense if unique, defense if non-unique

  • Has 4 possible combinations

Internal link

  • Optional

  • Can be multiple internal links

Impact

  • Should outweigh the aff

  • Should turn the aff

  • Different from the impact in the claim impact/implication

Politics DA

Agenda Politics

What you think of when you see politics

  • Basic structure:

    • X bill passes now (UQ)

    • The plan means the bill won’t pass (Link, Internal Link)

    • The bill stops extinction

Always centers around proposed legislation passing

Most variable part is the link


Political Capital

The amount of political influence that a president has

  • “The bully pulpit”

  • Properties

    • Used up on unpopular priorities/controversies

      • E.g. Obamacare and climate change reform

    • Finite

    • Nonrenewable

      • “Winners lose” vs “Winners win”

  • DA Structure

    • Bill passes now (UQ)

    • The plan uses up Biden’s political capital (Link)

    • Biden’s PC is key to the bill (IL)

    • Bill solves extinction (Impact)


Bipartisanship

The amount of cooperation between the parties

  • Generally considered to be low now

  • Similar properties to PC

    • Used up on polarizing topics

    • E.g., bipartisan infrastructure deal

  • DA Structure

    • Bill passes now (UQ)

    • The plan polarizes the parties (Link)

    • Bipartisanship is key to pass the bill (IL)

    • Bill solves extinction (Impact)

  • Related: Party Unity

Bipartisanship

The amount of time it takes to consider legislation

  • Properties

    • Very generic

    • Generally only works if dropped

    • Need to show why passing bill soon matters

  • DA Structure

    • Bill passes now (UQ)

    • The plan takes up floor time (Link)

    • That means there isn’t time to pass the bill by the deadline (IL)

    • No bill = extinction (Impact)

Reverse Agenda

Like regular agenda politics, but arguing that a bill is bad

  • Argues that the plan is popular 🡪 helps the bill

  • DA Structure

    • Bill does not pass now (UQ)

    • The plan is popular (Link)

    • That increases the president’s influence, which results in the bill passing (IL)

    • The bill causes extinction (Impact)


Elections/Midterms

Argues that the plan shapes the outcome of an election

  • Presidential elections vs Midterms (individual vs party)

  • Focuses on the popularity of the plan with the country

    • Congressional popularity vs popular support

  • Basic Structure:

    • X Candidate wins the election (UQ)

    • The plan is unpopular and tied to X Candidate (Link)

    • That causes X candidate to lose the election (IL)

    • X Candidate losing results in nuclear war (Impact)


Riders

In Congress bills can have amendments that add actions to the legislation

  • If unrelated, known as “riders”

  • Happens with important bills because they’re more likely to accede

    • E.g., the budget

  • DA argues the plan is “must pass” because of fiat, which results in riders being added

    • These unrelated riders are harmful and cause extinction

    • Thus, the plan should not be passed

  • Basic Structure:

    • The plan is a “must pass” bill (Link)

    • X rider will be attached to important legislation (IL)

    • Passage of that rider will cause an existential threat (Impact)


Horsetrading

DA argues that the plan is unpopular and must be “traded” for other priorities in order to pass

  • This results in other legislation being passed (which we say is bad)

  • “horse trading” refers to trading votes for legislation

  • Dems pass a Dem policy in exchange for the GOP passing a conservative policy

  • Basic Structure:

    • X bill won’t pass now (UQ)

    • The plan is unpopular (Link)

    • That means it gets horse traded for X bill in order to pass (IL)

    • X bill causes extinction (Impact)


Court Politics

Treats the court as its own political institution

  • Judges vote for cases not just based on law, but also based on politics

  • “Moderate” justices balance voting for both liberal and conservative policies

    • Now Roberts and Kavanaugh … lol

  • The plan is usually a liberal policy, which means the moderate justices “swing” their vote on a different decision to be conservative

    • Argue that is bad

  • E.g., Obamacare and VRA

  • Works only against court affs (one of few court disads)

  • Basic Structure:

    • In X case, the swing justice will side with the liberals (UQ)

    • The plan is a liberal policy (Link)

    • That causes the justices to swing their vote on other issues (IL)

    • A conservative outcome in that case causes extinction (Impact)

Fiat & Intrinsicness

Fiat = let it be done

  • Means we ignore whether the plan is likely to pass, focus on its effects

  • Does that undermine politics?

    • No, because the plan still has to pass, and that can have an effect on what occurs

    • Fiat means the plan gets passed, not that there’s no political blowback

  • Intrinsicness objection

    • Argues a disad is not a cost to the plan

    • If a disad applies, then any world with the plan would be subject to the disadvantage

    • Thus, if you can come up with an action that means the plan wouldn’t trigger the DA, the DA is not intrinsic

    • Politics is not intrinsic because you can imagine a world where we pass the bill and also pass the plan

Jayden .
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